South Auckland study of pregnant women with pre-diabetes shows elevated risk of still births

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-05-14 03:00

New Zealand

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Women with pre-diabetes face more risk of birth complications, such as emergency caesarean section, pre-term birth, and newborn death, according to an analysis of 10,000 pregnancies in Counties Manukau District Health Board. Pre-diabetic women are also more likely to have larger-than-average babies, and two thirds of the mothers-to-be end up with type 2 diabetes. The researchers recommend more trials to see if treating pre-diabetes in early pregnancy can lower the chance of late-pregnancy complications.